Diego's Dragon
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: Diego is greeted by a mythical creature and handed her only offspring for a purpose he can't fathom. Why is he her last hope? What role does he play in the world's future? And who is after him and his precious egg,or rather, the baby that becomes his son?
1. Chapter 1

Greetings! So yeah, I'm sure everyone will be exasperated, but this is an idea I've had for a while now anmd I really wanted to put it up since I have so many chapters already written. So please enjoy and review this intro!

Diego's Dragon

Intro

A hooded figure stood in a room full of lit candles. The walls were brick; soundproof. His hands were concealed by his long sleeves, and his feet were hidden by the black cloth of a tunic. All that could be seen of his face were a human nose, human lips, and a human chin. He gritted his teeth in frustration, parting his lips to show teeth worthy of belonging to a large, feline specifically, predator. It had never taken this long to pinpoint someone. The Great Pool was always quick and accurate, but today, it seemed to take it's time, swirling slowly, as though sifting through the past had suddenly become a task too daunting for itself.

"A single saber; that is all I asked, that is all we need." He spoke quietly, but with an undertone of impatience. The pool finally stopped swirling, and focused on an image of a male saber; golden orange fur, patches of white here and there, and white underside. Long, healthy canines and green, green eyes. All around, a very handsome being. The figure murmured with interest. "And of what great importance does this being influence?" he asked.

The pool changed to show an image of the town around the figure's sanctuary, causing him to murmur in surprise. "Dewleaf." he commanded. A dragon, no taller than he, with bright green scales and yellow eyes, approached the pool as well. The figure extended his hand, and pointed a claw like nail at the image. "Retrieve any images of _him_." he commanded. Dewleaf turned to a bookcase on their right, and the figure hid his hand once more. After pulling out a few volumes and leafing through them, he nods and shows the hooded man a hand drawn picture of the saber.

Crude as it was, the features were distinct and clear. The figure nodded. "Pericles!" he called. Some ways behind the two, a saber sat on his haunches in front of a desk, pouring over a number of books and documents. He jerked his head up at the sound of his name, surprised out of his focus.

Adjusting a pair of spectacles that had slid sown his nose, he replied, "Oh, uh, yes sir?" Dewleaf brought the hand drawing over and set it on the desk.

"Find him." the figure commanded. After adjusting the spectacles once more, Pericles gave a nod and closed his books, stacking them to one side, before standing and going over to the same bookcase. Pulling out a rather large volume, he grunted and dropped it onto the desk. He opened the cover and turned the pages, glancing back and forth between the drawing and pictures in the book. Next to each picture was a name, each name was connected to any parents, mates, and/or offspring. Each name had a long, detailed description of their owner's life, human and animal alike. He finally found a picture that matched up with the drawing.

He placed a claw on it.

"Ah, yes." he said, smiling brightly. "Such an interesting character this one is. Left his pack, went to live with a _herd_ of, three mammoths, two possums, and a sloth! Goodness, such extravagance!" he jabbered. Dewleaf rolled his eyes.

"What's the fellow's _name_?" he asked pointedly. Pericles gave him a small glare, before returning his eyes to the page with a sigh.

"Let's see," he said, adjusting the spectacles a third time, squinting. "His name is…" Pericles gasped.

"That's not a name, Pericles." the hooded figure said. The saber leaned back for a moment, gripping his spectacles with one paw, and arranging them on his face once more, stared at the figure's back.

"S-sir, it's his lineage, he's, he's…."

"He's what?"

"He's… a DuPrey." The figure, with the speed of a cheetah, extended a cape attached to his tunic, and turned sharply, blowing out all the candles except for those around Pericles and Dewleaf. Dewleaf sighed and closed eyes. Pericles gripped his eyeglasses and trembled. Anyone who lived in Sanctuary knew how to tell when any select member was angry.

"I gathered, Pericles." He said through gritted teeth. "Which, DuPrey, is, he?" Pericles swallowed, glanced down at the book, and then, back up at the figure.

Trembling, he replied, "He's Diego sir. Diego DuPrey I."

* * *

><p>So how was it?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hola! So here's chapter 1, I hope you all enjoy it and liek it enough to give me some feedback! :)

Diego's Dragon

Chapter 1

Diego was sleeping peacefully in a tree. It was his afternoon nap, and he had placed himself far away from his herd, so as not to be disturbed by the possums. He was far away from anyone for that matter. He was out in the middle of practically no where, and he was sure he would receive no disturbances. The tree he was in was small and the only tree for a good few square miles. Flat plains stretched out before him endlessly, for he was right bang in the center of it all. He exhaled through his nose and rolled over.

He had never had such a good nap, but it would be the last he would have in a long while. A shadow passed over the tree, and a loud _swoosh_ was heard. Diego opened his eyes and looked around blearily. Nothing seemed to be out of order, so he laid his head back down and drifted off. The shadow passed over again, directly over the tree. It was much larger this time, and the _swoosh_ sound was a great deal louder. Diego woke up once more, and looked around in irritation.

" _This had better not be one of the possums' pranks. _" he thought. He laid his head down and curled up near the trunk, in hopes of continuing his undisturbed rest. The shadow passed over the tree a third time, even larger, and the _swoosh_ was irritatingly loud. Diego's eyes snapped open angrily and he jumped out of the tree, looking all around, infuriated. " All right! Whoever here thinks it's _funny_ to mess with me during _my_ nap time-" he unsheathed his claws and crouched for an attack. " you are _sadly_ mi-" he was cut off by a loud _thump_. A large shadow completely covered him, and a chill ran through his whole body.

A loud, cold, exhalation blew icy cold air over him, and he thought that he had surely frozen. Slowly, he turned to see a gigantic lizard, with scales that were pale blue like a frozen flesh, and humongous wings, looking fit to blow a herd of mammoths fifty miles away with a single flap. Its neck was long and slender, and ended with a reptilian face. The face bore a long snout, covered in slightly darker blue scales, yet two fiery red eyes blazed with warmth beneath two sky blue brows. Not to mention, it was over a hundred feet tall.

Diego sat there, frozen in shock in front of the great creature. He had been told many stories as a cub about giant flying lizards, with enormous birdlike wings, long necks, and could breathe fire. They came from all different regions of the world, and had specific characteristics to fit their environment. They were mystical beings created to give the world a sense of adventure, and they rarely revealed themselves. Some had powers, some didn't.

But he was sure they could all breathe fire. The term for these creatures, scientifically was all over _Draco volans_. Then, whether you came from east or west depended what type. The eastern Chinese called them _Draconis Occidentalis_, and the western Europeans called them _Draconis Orientalis_. But no matter where you're from, no matter what language you speak, it was called one common word.

The Dragon.

The creature that stood before him was supposed to be a myth, a fairytale to tell the little ones at bedtime, a topic to argue the true existence of if you were old enough to converse with the adults, but never, _never_had Diego in all of his days anticipated actually _seeing_ and coming face to face with one of the majestic beasts. He could do no more than draw in a single shaky breath, feeling the fiery eyes of the dragon boring into his own, as if it could examine all of him, all his thoughts, his past actions and memories, as if scanning him for profanity. He began to shiver, the shadow of the beast seemed to make the grassy plains feel like the Himalayan mountains. It bent its head down to his, and gently poked his chest with the very tip of its nose, then began to very gently sniff him all over. He remained frozen, his fear making his heart beat faster with each inhalation that tugged at his fur, and felt relief crash over him like a wave as soon as his fur was released.

When it finally stopped and came to stare into his eyes again, Diego was about ready to make a run for it, but he stayed. He didn't know why at that time, but he stayed. He tried to remain calm and observed the dragon as it did him. He finally noticed that it was a female, and for one reason or another relaxed greatly. From what he knew, females were more open to conversation and reason than the males, who would fry anything that looked worthy to be called a meal in a fraction of a moment.

" Uh, um, " he stumbled over trying to make conversation. " You uh, from the mountains? " he finally asked. The dragon seemed to freeze for a moment, and locked eyes with him. In that moment, Diego saw a decision made, and somehow, he saw the future. He saw so many things, things he couldn't believe, things he couldn't describe, he _felt_ things he could not describe, all the feelings one could imagine, and another.

A feeling he could not name, because he did not recognize it, but somehow, he knew he would experience it. When their gaze finally broke, nearly everything flooded out of Diego's mind, except three important events, and that feeling he could not name seemed to leave him like a slow tide receding from the beach. The dragon opened its mouth, revealing two rows of wickedly sharp teeth, perfect for tearing through the toughest of flesh. Diego's eyes widened in horror, as he stared at what he presumed to be his last sight before death. But some part of him, the part that remembered the three important events yet to come, reminded him that he had much to live through yet.

So he forced his eyes to shrink back to normal and stared into the beast's mouth head on, looking terribly fearful. The mouth came very close to the ground, and a humongous pink tongue pushed something to one side of the mouth, and the mouth tilted to allow something oval shaped to tip out without crashing into the teeth. It landed on the ground in front of Diego, and out of curiosity, he reached out and picked it up. He had to hold it with both of his paws, for it was the size of his chest, and was colored a light sky blue, with dark blue spots peppering it. " This looks like… " he stopped, and drew in a breath.

" _An egg_. " he thought. He looked up at the dragon, who stood before him solemnly, staring lovingly down at the egg.

" You hold my only offspring. I am not destined to bear another child, for I know my death is near. " she said, her voice soft and sad, her warm eyes moist. " You, Diego, are destined to care for the creature inside the shell, to raise it, train it, do all that neither I, nor anyone else can. You alone are meant to defeat a great enemy of our existence, and only you can figure out what that enemy is. " she continued. Diego stared at her in wonder.

" How do you know who I am? " he asked.

" I can discover anything I want about whomever I so choose. " she replied.

" Who are you? "

" I am Sali, Sali of the Sky. My child shall be called what you think fits. I am sure you will choose wisely. Please do not cast this honor aside, " she said, staring him firmly in the eyes. " You may not know now what you cradle in your paws, bold saber, but you must believe what your heart tells you, and choose what you think is the true path. " Diego was not used to such words.

" …But why _me_? Of all the creatures on earth, why a sarcastic, used-to-be villain like _me_? I have no experience with children, I've never actually seen a dragon until I met you, and, and- "

" Because, you admit your faults truthfully, and you have changed yourself. You doubt your skills which greatly surpass adequate, and you have great good in you. You are worthy of so much more. You just cannot see yet. " Sali replied. Diego stared at her.

" How am I supposed to take care of it? " he asked.

" You will know. Now go, they come swiftly and are attempting to prey upon us. " Sali replied. With that, she flapped her gigantic wings once, twice, thrice, and lifted off the ground. She flew off, leaving Diego with the egg, alone. He looked around cautiously, then down at the egg. He sighed.

" Exactly how am I supposed to carry you? " he asked it. He looked around, searching for inspiration. He suddenly realized how big the leaves of his tree were. They were palm leaves after all. " Hmm. "

Line Break~

Diego looked down at himself, giving a huff of satisfaction. He had used a number of the palm leaves to fashion a sling for carrying the egg. He would place it in the open carrying part, then lay on his back and set the egg on his stomach, the bottom of it towards the sky. Then he would take the two twisted ends and tie them around his shoulders and back. This limited his movement a little bit, but he could still get around pretty easily. He set off for home, walking carefully.

" _I feel like a soon-to-be mother. _" he thought to himself. But, nonetheless he came with one mile of his home cave in half an hour. He smiled, feeling at ease so close. But a twig faintly snapped, and he spun around as fast as he could. The bushes behind him rustled, and he spun in that direction too. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw movement. He momentarily froze, unsure if he should run or if he was being led into a trap.

He suddenly got that feeling, when you just know someone is sneaking up on you, they're right behind you, they're about to shout 'boo!'…

Diego tore off, doing his best not to jerk the egg around too much, desperate to get home. He could hear feet pounding behind him, but kept his pace. If there were any traps, he wanted to be able to find them with his eyes rather than getting stuck in one. He weaved through the trees in an attempt to lose the pursuers, but it only semi-worked. After a while, he could still hear a single pair of feet pounding after him. The pattern began to slow, but Diego didn't change his speed. It suddenly quickened, and Diego veered to the right in a desperate attempt to escape.

He ran for no more than two seconds before hearing a screech of surprise, but didn't stop. He was slightly confused now, but managed to find his way to the herd's cave. Sighing, he cautiously walked inside, to see that no one else was there. " Right. " he said to himself. He turned and went out, returning with a few pine branches laying across his back, and went to the very back of the cave, then let them slide off of him. He arranged them in a way he would be comfortable laying in, and took the egg out of its sling. The leaves hung limp against him now that the burden of the egg was gone.

He placed it in the center of the pine boughs, and observed it for a moment. " Hmm. " he removed the sling, laying it down in one corner, and laid himself down, wrapping his body around the egg to keep it warm. " There we go. " he said, smiling at the shell, before frowning with a sigh. " What am I gonna' do with you? I wonder if I can convince some of those flying dinosaurs down in Buck's world to take you in. " he thought a loud. Then he perked up, " Hey, that might actually work! But how am I gonna' get down there, much less without anyone knowing? " He sighed again, " Oh well, nothing to do now except keep you warm, little one. " he smirked, then laid his head down and napped.

Line Break~

Sid waddled through the woods, having decided to go home after foraging for a while. He figured Diego wouldn't be back for another half hour from his cat nap, and wondered what he would do to entertain himself. He walked inside and sat down, thinking, which was something he didn't do often. " _I wonder if Diego would make a good father. _" he thought suddenly. A smile crept onto his features, " _I bet he has some sort of weakness for a pretty face. And  
>I bet I could get him to realize it! <em>" His smile became mischievous, and he began to tap the tips of his claws together, planning ruthlessly.

" _Oh, this is going to be fun! _" he thought. He stood and began to pace, muttering details to himself. When he finally devised a self satisfactory plan, he chuckled darkly. " Oh, perfect! " he said to himself. Then he sighed, " If only I could match-make myself, " he paused and stared into space sadly, then smiled and brushed the thought aside with a wave of his hand. " but it's much more fun to do it to other people! " he snickered and plopped back down, once again in need of entertainment. He decided to take a walk and come back later when the whole herd would most likely be there.

On his walk, he came across a band of sloths who were standing in a circle, arguing heatedly. " A _saber_? You let a saber get away from you? " one screeched. It was male with dark blue fur and a patch of hair on his forehead that was long enough to hang down in his eyes, but it was kept so that it swept across his forehead in a nice hairstyle. " You've brought down _'you-know-whats-'_ for cryin' out loud, and you lost a _saber tooth_? " his brown eyes blazed, while his yelling was directed across the circle to another male, who was light green with a mullet. He trembled at the blue male's voice, fear evident in his hazel eyes.

" But, but, it avoided a trap, which I have no idea how, and I wasn't fast enough! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I- "

" Well then you should have meant _not_ to! " the blue male interrupted. " Thanks to you, we lost one of the most important things to this project, and it will take _double _the work we've done to attain it just to _retrieve_ it! " The green sloth looked about ready to burst into tears, so Sid decided to intervene. He boldly walked into the circle and stood next to the green sloth, placing his hands on the poor guy's shoulders.

" Hey, um, I couldn't help but hear about you guys' little problem. " he greeted, smiling somewhat sheepishly. " And uh, I was wondering if I could help you out! " he chuckled. Everyone looked at him skeptically, except for the green sloth, who turned to look at Sid, gratefulness shining in his hazel eyes.

" What help can you offer us? " the dark blue sloth asked him. Sid glanced at the ground momentarily, then perked up and looked him in the eye.

" I know someone who might be able to help you find the saber you're looking for! " he answered enthusiastically. The dark blue sloth raised an eyebrow.

" Oh? And who would that be? "

" A friend of mine, his name is Diego. " Sid replied.

Line Break~

Diego murmured and moved his head. He slowly opened his eyes, and gave a large yawn. Then he turned his attention to the egg. Smiling, he took a claw and gently traced the shell. He couldn't help but feel, well, special. He was always fond of dragons as a child, and he loved the many tales the adults would tell him and the other cubs at bedtime. He was also terrified; he had no idea how to care for a baby dragon, and how would he break the news to his herd?

Would he tell them? He would have to sooner or later, it would inevitably become impossible to hide the dragon, because if Diego knew anything at all, it would probably grow to its mother's size or bigger, depending on the gender. He sighed. He carefully stood and stretched, then contemplated hunting. It dawned on him that the egg would need almost round the clock warmth, and who knew what would happen if someone found the egg while Diego was gone. Plus, he wasn't starving, not even a twinge hungry. Yes, he would only hunt when he couldn't stand _not _to.

So, he curled up around the egg again, and drifted off once more. To him, it wasn't long after before he heard footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes, and saw a sloth's shadow on the wall, increasing in size with every step. He sat up instantly, and searched for somewhere to hide the egg. " _Oh dear, oh dearie dear! _" he thought; no way could he let Sid find out. He finally put the egg in the darkest corner, covered it with the pine boughs, and sat in front of it, looking as nonchalant as he could. When Sid finally came into view, he smiled broadly and hurried over.

" Hey buddy! What are you doing way back here? " he asked. Diego's throat ran dry. He usually wouldn't mind lying, but then again it was usually something small. The thought of lying to Sid about this hurt him. But he just had to. Sadly, his frazzled brain couldn't come up with anything.

" Uh, I figured this would be a better place to take my afternoon naps. In fact, it's perfect for all of my naps! Heh, heh. " he replied, smiling nervously.

" Oh, well I was wondering if you could help these guys I met. They're looking for another saber. " Sid replied.

" Uh, sure. " Diego said. There was silence for a few moments. " Why don't you lead the way out? " Diego asked. Sid raised an eyebrow.

" Um, sure. " he said, then turned and began waddling away. Diego sighed and turned to look at the egg. He situated the pine branches one last time, then followed Sid out. Diego's stomach twisted into knots as they walked, his mind promising that he would return as soon as he had found the missing saber. It wouldn't take that long, just a little scent search, no time at all. Oh who was he kidding? He could be stuck tracking this saber for days, and the egg might freeze and die, or someone might find it, might, might, might! Oh!

" So uh, who are these guys that need my help? " Diego asked, trying to lift the worry from his mind.

" A group of sloths. They said something about losing a saber who had something very important to their project thingy. He actually looks a lot like you. " Sid replied. Diego's heartbeat stopped altogether.

" _Oh, poo. _" Diego thought, terrified. " _It can't be, _" he thought, then shook his head. " _maybe it isn't, maybe they're not the ones. _" As they neared the entrance to the cave, Diego's heart climbed into his throat. They finally stood before a group of about five sloths, the apparent leader had a dark blue pelt and looked curious with dieing anger in his eyes. They all seemed a little intimidated by Diego, but the leader showed no signs of fear whatsoever. Diego raised one brow; Who were these guys? Most sloths cowered in fear at the mere sight of a saber from a distance of many yards.

" So, you're Diego? " the leader asked, quirking an eyebrow, looking Diego up and down.

" I am. " Diego replied, scanning the sloth for anything that sent off an alarm. Nothing seemed wrong with him, except that hairdo. What sloth had _that_ kind of hairdo? Usually it was only the females who had hairdos, and males, from what Diego had seen, usually had something like what Sid had on the back of his head. Not to mention his gaze was cold and calculating.

" So you can help us? " he asked.

" I can, " Diego cracked a grin, " doesn't mean I will. " he joked. Sid and four of the sloths laughed, while the leader's eyes went to slits. Diego lost his grin.

" Well, we would greatly appreciate it if you did. " he said once everyone had stopped.

" Sure. "

Line Break~

Diego bit his lip, face turned away from all the sloths. He had been brought to where the DHI's ( that was what they called themselves ) had last seen the important saber. His nose was still to the ground, but he was no longer sniffing. The scent he had picked up was his own. He quickly thought up a plan to lead them away from the egg, if that was what they after. Most likely it was. He started sniffing again, and started walking north.

The sloths trailed behind him, Sid taking up the front right behind the saber. After walking some yards, Diego stopped and stared straight north, his face hidden. He didn't want to lie to Sid again, but right now, he had an important secret to protect, and not showing his face to Sid made it easier. " I think the saber you're looking for headed north, in fact they're probably some miles away by now ." he said in a regular voice. " Also, if I didn't know any better, I'd say they're female. " he added, hoping to confuse the sloths and ensure no return from them. He finally turned around, and saw the trust in Sid's eyes, the complete faith and friendship. It made him want to cry.

The leader nodded, " Thank you, we shall be on our way. " he said, leading the group past him and Sid. Diego noticed one sloth with a light green pelt, and hair that hung down on the back of his head, sort of like female humans' hair. He looked back at Sid, who gave him one of his goofy grins. Diego smiled sadly back at him.

" Well, I guess I'll get back to my nap. " he said.

" Hey Diego? " Sid asked. " Would you mind, uh, talking with me? " Diego froze.

" Um, " he started, thinking. He had to keep that egg warm, but Sid was his friend, and he usually wasn't that nice to him. Just for a few minutes, it wouldn't hurt. " Sure, for a little while. " he replied, smiling at the sloth. Sid grinned back, and the two preceded home.

" Hey Diego, when we get home, I want to show you something that I think is neat. " Sid said.

" Really? What's that? " Diego asked.

" You'll see. " Sid replied. Diego chuckled. Sid would definitely be the first person Diego would introduce the dragon to after himself. He wanted to tell Sid so bad, but he wasn't sure if he could. Not now, it was just too, too, too something. They continued on in silence until they reached the herd's cave. Once there, Sid grabbed a stick and sat down, then began drawing a square in the dirt. Diego sat down next to him and watched in curiosity.

" What are you doing? " he asked.

" You'll see. " Sid then drew a second square, overlapping the first one. Then he connected the corners; the top left corner of the first square to the top left corner of the second square, the bottom left corner of the first square to the bottom left corner of the second square, and so on. When he finished, he smiled and Diego proudly. Diego tilted his head at Sid's strange drawing.

" What is it? " he asked. Sid rolled his eyes and wiped away the corner and lines connected to the top right corner and bottom right corner.

" Do you see it now? " he asked. Diego's eyes widened and he smiled.

" Oh! It's a cube! " he said, turned to look at Sid. He then smirked, " Not bad. " he complemented the sloth. Sid chuckled, and turned back to the drawing.

" Yeah… I learned how to do it when I was little. My parents used to let me hang around a nearby human settlement, knowing that they didn't hunt sloths. I watched some human kids do it a couple of times, then did it myself. " he explained. Diego nodded in approval.

" As dumb as that sounds, you 're pretty good at it. " he said. Sid looked at him, startled and sad.

" You think it's _dumb_? " he asked sadly.

" I mean letting a kid hang around humans. " Diego explained, then smiled and placed a paw on Sid's shoulder. " What you just did is very, how the possums say it. Cool. " Sid chuckled.

" Thanks. " They walked inside and sat down, then chatted for a good twenty minutes. Diego remembered his egg, and stopped the conversation with an apology, before hurrying to the back of the cave. He found the egg just as he had left it, and remade the bed. Then he settled down, wrapping himself around the egg once more, and fell asleep.

Line Break~

Sid stared after Diego as he went to the back of the cave. He frowned sadly once the saber was out of sight. It had felt good to talk to the saber, it strengthened their friendship. He didn't get to say everything he had wanted to, but there would be other times when Diego was free, it wasn't like he napped 24/7 right?

Line Break~

Sarro and his group had traveled fifteen miles by the time they bedded down that night. As he lay down in his sleeping bag, he clenched his teeth and cursed under his breath. " Sarro sir? " his newest member asked.

Without turning to look at him, Sarro growled, " That saber lied to us. " Nothing more was said between Sarro or anyone else that night.

Line Break~

So what's the deal with this Sarro guy? And what will happen to Sali eventually? And how will Ari grow up? Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 already? Yeah, I've had this stocked on my flshdrive for maybe a little over a year now, so I figured I should just break it out and see what you guys think!

Diego's Dragon

Chapter 2

The next morning was filled with worry and excitement. Well, at least it was to Diego. He knew that sooner or later, probably sooner, those sloths would figure out that Diego had lied to them, and would come back for the truth. He had to get the egg somewhere safe. But where? He yawned wide, and stretched, before standing up and pacing. " _Maybe I can convince Manny to move. _

" _Yeah! Winter is coming on, and we need to migrate to our winter cave! It's just a few miles from here, and I can cover our tracks- but how will I transport the egg? _" he sighed and sat down. " Maybe the sloths won't be able to find our cave, and maybe Manny won't have us migrate this year. " Diego scoffed as soon as the words left his mouth. " Keep dreamin' Diego, keep dreamin'. " Diego looked over at the egg.

He placed a paw on the shell and rubbed it somewhat lovingly. " What _am_ I gonna' do with you? " he asked. The silence that followed didn't help. Suddenly, he thought he saw movement through the shell. He squinted at it, " What the? " Suddenly, something thumped Diego's paw, from inside the shell. He drew it back in fright, but replaced it in another spot.

The thump came again, and Diego felt something hitting the shell. " _It… kicked? _" he thought. " … It kicked. " he said a loud after a moment. He stared at it for a moment, then picked the egg up and cradled it against his chest. " Eh, you're not that bad, just wish you were easier to hide. " he said to it, smiling. There came another kick, against his chest this time, making him chuckle. " That shell of yours must be somewhat translucent. " he commented.

Then the egg started to shake, and Diego stared at it in confusion. " _Oh no, it's not-! _" he thought frantically, his face starting to look panicked. He carefully set the egg on the pine boughs, and watched it shake, then start to crack. His eyes widened. The shell continued to crack, until a section of it moved. Diego watched attentively, and waited for it to continue. But it stopped.

After about fifteen minutes, Diego gently gripped the edge of the piece that had become partially detached, and lifted it away. The inside was sticky and wet looking, but he thought he saw something else. Carefully, he ripped off that small chunk, and waited. The egg shook again, and different parts of it cracked dramatically, until a large portion fell away, revealing a small, scaly shoulder. Diego's breathing quickened; he felt excited and happy, yet awed. Another piece came off, revealing a teeny reptilian foot. He smiled.

Another chunk was pushed off by a second foot, the leg stretching out of the shell then rapidly pulling back inside, making Diego lean closer in fascination. Another section was pushed off by a teeny, reptilian hand, and Diego chuckled. Then the egg froze again, and the hand hung limp against the shell. After ten minutes, Diego began to get worried, this was the second time. He fearfully reached out and tore one piece off, exposing a scaly, round little belly. He pulled his paw away and waited another ten minutes. Biting his lip, he peeled a section off one side, exposing a scaly little arm.

The arm pressed itself against a scaly side, and Diego sat back. He waited only five minutes before reaching out and, moving slower than he ever had in his life, took the top part of the shell and gently pulled it off. He tossed the scrap away, and stared at the baby dragon's face. It was the most adorable thing he had ever seen, yet it was scrunched and upset, uncomfortable with its current situation, which made Diego worry. He carefully peeled away some more of the shell, then picked the baby up out of it and cradled it in his arms. It curled against his chest desperately, its tiny body shivering uncontrollably.

Diego was silent for a while. He stared at the dragon in total awe, a feeling stirring in his chest at the thought of having to care for such a creature. Then a worrisome thought came to him, " You're early aren't you? " he asked it quietly. The baby simply squeaked and pressed against his chest harder. Diego's icy heart melted into warm, molten lava. " You poor thing, no wonder you took forever. " he continued in the same hushed voice. The baby made a few more squeaks before falling silent.

After a few moments, it stopped shivering as well. Diego's eyes widened in horror. " Oh, please, please don't die. " he pleaded, and gently nudged the baby with his nose. It squeaked and jerked slightly. Diego sighed in relief. " You are going to need a lot of rest, little one. " he said, gently stroking its head. " Now let's see, you're… a boy. " he said.

" A little boy. Hm, now what should I call you? " He smirked, " Oh who am I kidding, it's not like I'm gonna' keep you. " he said. The baby dragon seemed to curl up into an even tighter ball, and take on an even more upset look. Diego suddenly wondered if he should have said that a loud. " Oh, it's not that I don't like you, I just don't feel that I'm qualified to- " he stopped. This little thing looked so, weak, so helpless, so in need of love and care.

He murmured uncomfortably. It _was_ pulling his heartstrings already, " Well, I guess… maybe, maybe you could stay. You need someone, even if, they don't know what they're doing. But you've got no one else… " The baby seemed to calm down, his eyes lessened their squeezing, and he made some sort of purring sound.

" Alright, I admit it, I like you. " Diego chuckled. " I'll take care of you; you're a carnivore aren't you? "

" I can teach you how to hunt, and I bet you could learn how to fly pretty easy. Yeah. " Diego was starting to warm up to the idea of keeping the baby giant lizard. He slouched against the wall and smiled at the little dragon. " I think I'll call you, Ari. Ari, of the air. " He sighed through his nose, then began to gently rock back and forth. Ari began to whimper, but Diego shushed him.

" Shhhh, it's alright little one. Go to sleep. " he whispered. In a matter of minutes, Ari was sleeping soundly. Diego sighed, he almost felt ready to go back to sleep himself.

But a voice jerked him back to reality, " I don't know where he is, probably still in the back. "

" Why don't you go check? " Diego sat up straight and looked up to see Sid's shadow waddling towards him. " _Oh snap! _" he thought. He looked around frantically, noticing that the egg was beyond the state of repair. He backed into the darkest corner there was, and waited. Sid soon waddled into view, looking around in confusion. He saw the eggshell bits on the floor, and gasped. " _I'm doomed. _" Diego thought, cringing. Sid looked around, and Diego's heart began to beat faster and faster.

" Diego? " Sid asked, apparently wondering if Diego was still in there. Diego contemplated replying.

Just when Sid looked like he was about to leave, Diego hissed, " Sid, wait! " The sloth whipped round and looked in his direction. " Come here! " Sid waddled over, finally spotting him.

" Diego? What're you doing? " he asked. Diego sighed.

" I uh, have a little job to do. " he replied.

" Job? " Sid asked. Diego shuffled forward into the light, trying not to wake Ari. He exposed Ari's head and neck to Sid, whose eyes widened. He reached out to touch the little dragon, but Diego pulled back.

" Don't touch him! " he hissed. Sid pulled his hand back.

" Okay, okay. " he replied. " What is it? "

" A dragon. " Diego replied.

" I thought those things didn't exist. " Sid said.

" Sh, he's asleep! "

" He? "

" Yes he, it's a boy, now whisper! "

" Alright, alright! " Sid whispered. "Where'd you find him? "

" Actually, his mother found me. " Diego replied. " She just, flew down out of no where and gave me her egg. I tried to protest, but, she said I'm supposed to be able to do something no one else can. It's odd, really. " he explained. Sid stared at him.

" So, what are you gonna' do with it? " he asked. Diego sighed and layed his ears against his head.

" I guess, take care of it. I just hope Manny doesn't want to squash him on sight. " he replied.

" You mean you're gonna' tell him about it? "

" Well, there's not really any other way to keep him with me, now is there? And stop calling him 'it'! He has a name! "

" That is? "

" Ari. "

" Ari? " Sid gave Diego a quizzical look. Diego rolled his eyes.

" Ari of the air. It's like his mother's name. Sali of the sky. I wonder where she is right now. " Diego explained.

" Well, good luck. I hope you do better than I did. " Sid said, cracking a grin. Diego smirked back.

" Thanks. Would you mind telling Manny that I won't be coming out for a while? " he asked. Sid nodded, then turned and waddled away. Diego slouched against the wall once more, and stared at the walls for a while, just thinking. He knew it was gonna' take a lot of work to care for Ari, but if he had to do this, he would.

* * *

><p>Sarro had been convinced by the newest member of his team, Reggie, that they follow Diego's advice and continue north. They had gone thirty five miles just this morning, not counting the fifteen from yesterday, and Sarro had turned the group around and headed back south. There was only one possible reason that saber would have lied; he had the egg. Sarro and Sali actually had a past, a very unpleasant past. She had obviously seen the saber as a keeper of her final child and entrusted him with her egg. "<em>Well, so far he's done a stupendous job protecting it except for the fact that we're coming back for it. <em>" he thought as his truck sped through the trees. Once he had reached an area of his liking, he stopped the truck by a tree and jumped out.

Four other trucks parked beside trees and one team member jumped out of each. Sarro put his wristband and began walking through the trees, heading for Diego and Sid's cave. His fingers began to lengthen greatly, and he smiled with satisfaction. " _We'll be done by the time we reach their place. _" He thought, looking back to see his team members putting their wristbands on as well. It had taken years of work to create them, and Sarro planned to make more, so they could be more than just sloths if they ever needed or wanted to. And with the help of the teeny little baby inside that egg, they could be even more.

* * *

><p>Days passed; Ari's eyes opened, he took his first steps before he even learned to speak, and Diego decided to introduce him to the herd. He gently picked Ari up by the skin of his neck, and carried him out to the front of the cave. Sid was the only one home at the moment, which pleased Diego. He walked up beside the sloth and set the dragon down. He saw for the first time that Ari's scales were sky blue, and his eyes were a fiery orange, burning with warmth while the rest of his body seemed to generate coolness. His wings lay against his back in fear and confusion, for he had never seen sunlight before, and now it streamed into the cave, into Ari's eyes. The whole area was knew to Ari, and Diego could tell he was curious.<p>

But he wrapped one paw around the reptile's body and turned to Sid, who smiled at him. He looked down at Ari in awe. " Man, the last time I saw this little guy, he was barely alive, just a tight little ball. " Diego chuckled. Ari looked up at the sound of Sid's voice, and stared at the sloth in fascination. Sid held a hand out, and Ari dug his little nose into it, sniffing vigorously.

He soon pulled away and scrunched up his nose, then let out a tiny sneeze. " See? Even Ari thinks you should take a bath. " Diego said. They both laughed for a moment, before Ari began to squirm , and Diego let him run around, sniffing the cave. When the rest of the herd came home, Diego called Ari over. The little dragon obediently rushed over and snuggled against the saber's belly. Diego wrapped a paw around him once more as the herd walked inside.

The twins were the first to get to Ari, running over and talking excitedly, trying to gain the baby's attention until Diego told them to stop antagonizing the poor creature. Then Peaches toddled up and patted Ari's head. The little dragon sniffed her trunk for a moment, then licked it, making Peaches giggle. Ellie studied Ari for a moment, then asked if she could hold him. Diego let her until Ari began squirming and whining, but she was attached the little guy all the same. She handed him back, and Manny stepped up. He stared at Ari for a while, before reaching out a laying a trunk on his head. Ari craned his neck back, trying to sniff the mammoth's trunk. Manny let him for a moment, then placed it under his chin, and tilted Ari's face up. The baby dragon studied Manny curiously, while Manny examined him.

He seemed very healthy from what Manny could tell, and wasn't afraid of the world. " You've done good so far." he said, looking up at Diego and taking his trunk away from Ari's chin. Diego smirked. " Has he said anything yet? " Diego shook his head.

" Still waitin' for that. He can run like nobody's business, but he hasn't heard words enough to say anything yet. " Diego replied. He looked back down at Ari, " He's doing better than I had hoped. "

" What do you mean by that? " Manny asked. Diego sighed.

" Ari… I think Ari hatched earlier than he was supposed to, so he could be very weak in certain areas that he hasn't discovered yet. I'm worried he'll have trouble flying, which could be a very big problem. " he explained.

" Ah. " Manny acknowledged. " So, how exactly do you plan to teach him how to fly? " Diego shrugged.

" I'm hoping he'll learn it by me telling him and trying it out himself. " At this point, Ari gave a small shriek, looking up at Diego pleadingly. He let go of the little dragon, who bounded off to chase the twins. Diego smiled. He would have little trouble keeping Ari well exercised, and he had two worthy baby-sitters, maybe three. Right now he could hunt for both of them, but soon Ari would need more meat, meat that Diego couldn't provide. Diego was sure he was a good teacher though and as soon as Ari was old enough, he would teach him how to hunt.

He had never felt as close to anyone he had ever met as he did with Ari. He almost felt like Diego's own flesh and blood, but one look at the dragon would remind him of the separate worlds they came from. Nonetheless, Ari was his son, and he was going to be brought up as a fine male. Diego didn't put up with anything irrational, so he knew how difficult Ari's teenage years were going to be for him as a father. Although he would probably be a little more lenient and less overprotective than Manny.

" Uh, Diego? " Manny broke Diego's train of thought, and the saber swung his gaze to see Crash dangling by his tail from Ari's mouth, screaming.

" Ah! No! Let me go! Let me go! " he cried out. Ari just smiled and swung the possum back and forth. " Please stop, swaying! " Crash said, his face turning green. " I'm a little nauseous! " his cheeks bulged and he covered his mouth with his hands. Diego quickly made his way over.

" No Ari! Put him down. " he said, and gently gripped the possum in one paw. Ari released the possum's tail from his mouth and hunkered down, an ashamed look in his eyes. Diego set Crash on the ground, who inspected his tail. There were shallow little teeth marks in it. " Ari, you're not allowed to do that to _anyone_. " Diego said authoritively. Ari hunkered low to the ground, frightened by Diego's sternness and irritation.

Diego's gaze softened. He placed a paw on the little dragon's back and gently stroked him. " Alright? " he asked seriously. Ari smiled, perking up, and licked him in the face. Diego smiled and chuckled.

* * *

><p>That night, Diego slept in the cave with his herd, Ari sleeping curled against his chest. He used to let Ari sleep on top of his chest, but that had of course been in the dark in the back of the cave. But he could tell that Ari had liked it. He knew how babies were comforted by the sound of their mother's heart beat, and apparently, since Ari's mother was gone, he was comforted by Diego's. Even now, the little dragon slept so that one ear was pressed against Diego. Diego remembered how he had been practically cut off from his herd for a few days, occasionally sharing a word or two when he went out hunting. He had no idea about all of the conversations and oppositions from Manny that had taken place, although he knew better than to think the mammoth would have just said ' Okay, the egg can stay as long as you take care of it' and that be that.<p>

But Manny wouldn't abandon someone, which was probably the reason he had agreed to Ari staying and hadn't said anything negative when Ari first met the herd. He was glad that everything was going smoothly, and hoped things would stay that way through Ari's stay.

* * *

><p>So what do you think? Not my best work? Best plot I've had so far? Review!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Again, you're all probably thinking WOE? Chapters 1-4 in one day? WEll, let's just say I really wanna' put this story up, so I'm puting all I have so far out here Enjoy!

Diego's Dragon

Chapter 3:

Sarro grumbled incoherent swears. The wristbands had malfunctioned two miles away from the cave, and now they were two weeks behind schedule. He was poking around in his, to see if he could find the problem. "Broken circuit." he finally mumbled. He reached into the back of his truck and pulled out a case of tiny tools.

* * *

><p>Ari jumped around, nudging Diego with his nose, "Dada! Dada! " he said. Diego mumbled and opened his eyes. After about two weeks of listening, Ari had learned the word 'dada' and what it meant. Not to mention learned a new, effective way of waking Diego. If he repeatedly nudged Diego's head while chanting 'dada', the saber would have no choice but to wake up after about the third or fourth nudge. He sighed tiredly.<p>

"Yes, Ari, I'm awake." he said. Ari stepped back and squirmed excitedly. Diego sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes. Ari couldn't say much, but he said dada enough to make the equivalence of a hundred different words.

"Dada! Dada! "

"I'm coming Ari." Diego slowly stood up and followed the little dragon out of the cave. He sped ahead, while Diego followed at a leisurely pace, smiling and shaking his head. He finally caught up with him, on top of a small cliff overhang, staring at the sky expectantly. Diego chuckled. "It takes a while, Ari." he said as he sat down by his son. Ari looked up at him, then snuggled up against his belly.

Diego stroked his neck.

" Dada. " Ari said with a contented sigh.

" Yes Ari, Dada's here. " Diego replied. " Ari look! " They both watched as the sky turned red just above the horizon, then orange, then a hump of yellow arose. It climbed higher and higher, changing the sky from black to blue. The clouds were dyed pink and purple, and the sun warmed the two animals watching it. Diego sighed through his nose in content.

He wrapped a paw around Ari, and held him close. He knew that within a few months, Ari would be his size, and he would get even bigger. He cherished what he could right now, knowing he didn't have long to cuddle Ari against himself like a baby. Ari would grow up and have the ability to fry Diego, yet right now he wanted to snuggle. They watched the sunrise finish, then headed back home. Ari bounced around, nudging everyone and screeching urgently. It wasn't long before everyone was up and getting breakfast.

Sid was put in charge of Ari so Diego could go hunt. He came back and took Ari from Sid, then led him over to the kill, where they shared it for breakfast. Then the herd regrouped and stared walking. They had started migrating to their winter cave, and were about three days away now. Diego was confident the sloths wouldn't be able to find them now, so he felt as though Ari was safe. He let him wander around as they walked, but never out of sight. He played with Crash and Eddie, and even Peaches, while the adults kept a wary eye on them.

They soon walked into a canyon, with rusty orange walls towering high above their heads. " Alright everyone, let's stick close together. It's common for rockslides to happen in places like this, and there are probably other predators, so stay close. " Manny said. Diego called Ari over, and kept him underneath his own body as he walked. He wasn't taking any chances. For the most part, their trip was uneventful. But when they came to the end of the canyon, things got a little shaken up.

Diego looked around, occasionally flicking his ears, feeling Ari's scaly back against his underside. The little dragon would try and dart out from underneath him at times, but Diego would always grab him and push him back underneath with, " Stay with me, Ari. " His worry and fear spread to Ari after a while, and he could feel the vibration from the reptile's trembling. " Sh, Ari. Everything's okay. " he soothed. A moment later though, things were terrible.

* * *

><p>Ari glanced around fervently, wanting to make sure there was no danger anywhere. The scenery from beneath his father wasn't very interesting, but he wasn't complaining. He felt safe and protected underneath his father's strong, muscled body, and he was sure everything was okay, just like his father said. At least, he was sure until he heard the strange noises from all around him. His father lowered himself to the ground, forcing Ari to lay down and shiver. He felt vibrations in his father's chest, and then heard a bloodcurdling growl. He was shocked; Dada had never made that noise before, and it terrified him greatly.<p>

The growl intensified, until Dada lashed out at something with a forepaw, and Ari heard a cry of alarm and pain. He hunkered down, quivering with fear. What was going on? For a while, Dada simply lashed out at things, forcing Ari to twist and turn to stay in complete coverage. Then something was stuck in front of Ari's face, something he had never seen before, and it pushed up into Dada's chest, forcing him into the air - and away from Ari. Ari shrieked in alarm at the creature standing before him. It stood on two legs and had two arms, like Uncle Sid, but it scowled at him in disgust, and poised a strange looking device at his head, while he was surrounded by more of the creatures.

He curled into a ball, trying to cover himself with his wings, and flicked his eyes around, trying to look at them. Another stepped forward and reached out to him. He closed his eyes tight, and felt a hand grab him around the neck. He was picked up a few feet, but at that point Dada made a loud roar and jumped on top of his handler. Ari fell to the ground, and was picked up by his scruff. But he recognized the feeling of Dada's teeth gripping his skin, and wasn't afraid. He squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to allow the rhythm of Dada's feet pounding the earth in a run to sooth him. Soon, he stopped, and set Ari on the ground, panting.

He tried to snuggle, his heart pounding and his brain frazzled with fear, wanting to hear that thumping thing in Dada's chest that he heard every night. He felt a paw press him against Dada's belly, and raised his head. The thumping was faster than normal, but it had its same pattern. Ari shivered, and sighed shakily. " Sh, it's alright Ari, we're safe now. " Dada whispered. Ari settled down, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Diego yelped quietly as one of the humans stuck something long and stick-lick underneath his chest and pushed upwards. He was flung backwards, landing on his rear. He looked to see a handful of other humans joining the first one, all surrounding Ari. " No! " he called out. He looked over at Manny, and for a moment, their eyes locked. A silent agreement was made that Diego would escape and take Ari to safety, while the others tried to make their own escape. He jumped into the circle with a roar, landing on the human that was currently holding Ari by the neck, nabbing the little dragon by his scruff.<p>

Then he broke out of the circle and sped off, out of the canyon, and a good five miles away. He finally stopped and set Ari down, panting hard. He tried to snuggle against the older saber, shivering and sighing. " Sh, it's alright Ari, we're safe now. " he soothed. In a few minutes, Ari fell asleep. After a while, Diego lay down himself, and held Ari close to his chest. There was something strangely familiar about the one human who had been pointing something at Ari's head in the circle.

He couldn't put his paw on it though. He sighed and closed his eyes; a nap would do him some good, and he knew it could be a while before the rest of his herd caught up. He licked his son's head tenderly, then drifted off.

* * *

><p>Diego was awoken by the heat of what could only be a fire, and opened his eyes to see cheery little flames dancing a few feet from his face. He smiled and sighed, then shuffled a little closer, keeping Ari in his grasp. " How're you two doing? " Diego looked to see Sid sitting a few feet to his right, head leaning on his hand. Diego chuckled.<p>

" I think Ari's alright, probably just a little frazzled. " Diego frowned and sighed. " I have absolutely no idea where those humans came from, or why they want Ari, but I'm really worried. We've got those sloths after Ari, and now humans. " Sid was silent for a moment.

" What makes you think the sloths were after Ari? " he asked. Diego shrugged.

" Call it daddy instinct, but I think when Sali said something about 'them trying to stalk us', I think she meant those sloths. Then again she could have meant the humans, maybe both. " he replied. " As far as how I'm doing, I'm fine except for the said problems and my worry. " Sid gave a big yawn, then stretched and lay down.

" Well, goodnight. " he said. Diego looked up at the sky, startled.

" It's night already? " he asked.

" Yep. " Sid replied. " You and Ari were the only ones without dinner. You slept the afternoon away. " With that, he flopped onto his piece of tree bark and started snoring. Diego smirked. He looked back down at Ari, and gently pressed his lips against the little dragon's forehead. Not a kiss, just a small display of affection.

" Goodnight Ari. " he said as he took his lips away. Then he settled back down, and entered the land of dreams.

* * *

><p>Ari watched his father's sides rise and fall with his breathing, his muscles tensed and ready. He waited as the sun rose outside of their winter cave, waiting for the perfect moment when it would be halfway risen. " <em>3…2…1… <em>" He leapt into the air and landed on top of Diego, silent as an owl, making the saber cry out in surprise. He fell off of his adoptive father laughing; he always managed to wake Diego up with a good scare, and it never ceased to entertain him. He heard a chuckle. " Alright, let's go.

" The sooner we see the sunrise the sooner we can have breakfast. " his father said. Diego stood up, and Ari happily stepped into place beside him. He had taken his love for the sunrise and used it as a perfect moment to strike Diego in the morning. They observed the sunrise as father and son, just like every morning, then headed off to hunt. Diego would conceal himself on the downwind side of their prey, while Ari would hide upwind, since it wouldn't matter if their prey tried to run, Ari could outrun anything. Today they caught two large bison, Diego eating half of one and Ari eating the second half plus the entire second bison. Then they headed off for a walk before the rest of the herd awoke.

But unbeknownst to Ari, this walk would end up differently than usual. Diego led him to a cliff overhang that towered at about two hundred feet, and the two sat down for a rest. Line Break~

Ari was now three times the size of his father, and Diego had a feeling his wings were finally ready to be put to use. He was at least five moths old now, and nearing the teenage stage for dragons. He looked over the edge of the cliff. Far below them, a calm lake rippled from the movements of fish, and there were no rocks or anything near the cliff. It was a sheer drop, and that was just what Diego wanted. " Ari, you see those birds up there? " he asked, pointing to the sky with a claw.

Ari tilted his head to look up at a flock of geese.

" Yeah, why? " he replied.

" You see how they flap their wings, almost as if they could never stop? " Diego asked. Ari nodded.

" Yeah. It's interesting to watch those seagulls on the beach, running while flapping and then taking off. " Diego turned to look at his son.

" Why don't you open your wings, let me see how good you've been taking care of them. " he said. Ari gave him a puzzled look, but all the same stood and extended his wings. Diego observed their undersides; a white-blue color, clean and proper. Then he stood up and observed their tops; sky blue scales, all polished and shimmering in the sunlight, clean and free of grime and dirt. He nodded and sat down. " You've done very well. " he said. Ari smiled and began to fold his wings in.

" Don't close them just yet. " Diego intervened. Ari stopped and stared at him in confusion. " Keep them open. " Ari extended his wings fully once more. " Now, look over the edge at that lake down there. " Diego instructed. He and Ari leaned over the edge. " Can you see the fish swimming in it? " he asked.

Ari nodded. " Can you tell what kind they are? " Ari leaned forward a little more.

" Uh, it looks like there could be, bass? " he replied.

" You sure? You might want to take a closer look. " Ari leaned forward some more.

" Trout, I think. " he said.

" Anything else? "

" Um… I don't know. " Diego 'hmmed'. Ari was almost there.

" Can you tell if any are… striped? " he asked. Ari stiffened, then leaned out a little more.

" Uh, maybe, I can't really tell. "

" Look harder, I'm sure there are some striped ones. " Ari leaned out just a little farther. " _Almost there. _" Diego thought.

" You know what, I think I might be able to see some striped ones. " he said.

" What colors? " Diego asked. Ari leaned out to the point where if he leant any farther he would fall. " _Perfect. _" Diego thought.

" Um, " Before Ari could finish his answer, Diego gave him a good shove, sending the dragon over the edge, screaming. Diego smirked, waiting. After three seconds went by, and there was no splash, he looked over the edge to see Ari looping in crazy figures, flapping his wings in erratic patterns, letting out whoops and screams, trying to steady himself. He chuckled, and watched as the dragon got his bearings, soaring back up to the cliff edge, and landing next to Diego with an ungraceful 'wump!'.

" So, did you have fun? "

* * *

><p>Crash and Eddie were sleeping peacefully in their tree, until they were awoken by distant screams. Opening their eyes and rubbing the bleariness out of them, they jumped off of their tree branch and started off in the direction the screams were coming from. They finally found a cliff overhang above a lake. Looking around, they heard another scream and looked up to see Ari barely managing to fly around, holding Diego in his front legs. " <em>FUN?<em> You call flappin' around with no control spontaneously falling because you lost your balance fun? You call free-falling and flying at the same time _fun?_

" I'll show you _FUN! _" He continued to bob and weave uncontrollably, sometimes free-falling for a few split seconds before gaining control again.

" Ari! Settle down, I've watched enough baby birds to know how hard it is to learn how to fly! I was joking! Come on now! " Diego protested, squirming around in an almost panicky mode. Ari continued his demented version of flying. " Young man, I am serious! Put me down _right now_! "

" Oh come now, I thought you considered this _fun_. " Ari replied sarcastically. Before Diego could reply, Ari's wings folded and the two dived for the ground. A scream emanated from both of their mouths, and Ari barely managed to extend his wings enough for them to glide a yard above the ground, before ramming into a tree. A loud 'thump!' was heard as they made contact with the ground, leaves showering them. Diego gave a groan, before noticing that Ari was bleeding. He gasped and took the dragon's face in his paws. There was blood running down his forehead, and the corner of his mouth was turning red. His eyes were closed, and he was moaning in pain.

"Oh, Ari!" he fretted. "I'm so sorry, this is my fault! I shouldn't have tried to teach you that way." Ari just moaned and laid his head in his adoptive father's lap. Diego hugged him and stroked his neck. He whispered comforting phrases to him, and gently licked his wounds. Ari curled up into a ball and somewhat snuggled against the saber. Crash sighed.

"Come on Eddie, let's go see if Ellie can help." he said. The two possums turned and scurried back to the home cave.

* * *

><p>Diego sighed in relief as Ari opened his eyes. He looked up at Diego solemnly. "Dad?" he asked. Diego stroked his face.<p>

"I'm here son." he said.

"I'm sorry." Diego smiled softly at him.

"It's not totally your fault. I shouldn't have tried that." he replied. Ari smiled and nuzzled him, then licked his face. Diego chuckled and ran his tongue up in between Ari's eyes.

* * *

><p>Sarro squinted as he watched the saber and the dragon. The ambush in the canyon hadn't worked, causing Sarro to realize that he was going to actually have to use his brain to trick these animals. He rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip, thinking. He remembered being a young boy, almost a teenager, sharing moments such as these with his father. It made him want to puke. That blasted saber really <em>loved<em> that dragon, and it made the plan all the more difficult. Even at this age and size, he never left, what had he named him, air?

He never left him alone without at least the sloth supervising him. And the dragon's size was also a factor to consider. A few months before, one of the men could have easily picked him up and dropped him in a bag. Now, they would probably get eaten if they got within shooting range of the thing. That saber sure was playing his cards right. Sarro smiled. _If _he was even playing the game.

He knew that the saber had a soft spot for all of his furry friends, and even the injury of one of those miscreant possums would weaken him. But they were only back-up. Sarro stood and walked back to the camp, smirking. Collins, one of the sergeants, approached him with a salute. "Have you decided on a plan sir?" he asked. Sarro's smirk spread wider.

"If I have learned anything about the relationship between a male and his offspring," he replied. "when the little boy gets hurt, daddy comes running."

* * *

><p>So how was this one? You know, I'm starting tot wonder if perhaps I'm making Diego a little out of character in this story. Maybe I should monitor what I put down and make sure he stays relatively the same. Tell me what you guys think of him! :)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

And the grand fanale, chapter 4! I know I said chapters one through 4 recently, but there was an intro, so this is the _actual_ chapter 4. Now I'll have to start working on the story to update it! Enjoy!

Diego's Dragon

Chapter 4

Diego was sleeping peacefully, with Ari snuggled up against his side. His mental alarm woke him earlier than usual this morning. After yawning and giving a good stretch, he sat down and smiled at Ari. He patted the dragon's nose, then stood and walked out of the cave, deciding it was best to find himself some breakfast. The gentle rumbles in the earth alerted him of a tag-along. He smirked. "Really Ari, I think it's gonna' be quite a while until you master stealth with _me_." he said, turning around.

Ari smiled sheepishly, and then stood from his crouched position. He was twelve months old now, a teenager in dragon time. Diego marveled at how long the beasts could live; Ari was now five times Diego's size. The two continued on, soon taking down a suitable breakfast. After breakfast, they traveled to a nearby stream for a drink. After the incident near the cavern, Manny had decided to move for the sake of the herd's safety. The valley they lived in was large and the other residing animals were quite friendly, although at first most of them were appalled by Ari.

"So Ari, have you been following those flying lessons I wrote for you?" Diego asked.

"Yep, I think I've finally got the barrel roll down." The dragon replied. Diego smiled and nodded.

"Good. I was thinking maybe the rest of the family could watch you practice today." he suggested. Ari blinked in surprise.

"Really? I don't know dad, I mean, I'm not _that_ good. I've only been doing it for a few weeks…"

"Ari, you've been flying for nine months now. All that time, no one else has seen it but me. And, probably the occasional onlooker from, miles away." Diego said. "But Manny told me today that they all would really like to watch you. Besides, I think you've got a great loop the loop." Ari smiled.

"Well, alright. I guess it won't be that bad." Diego smiled back. Ari suddenly jumped to his feet. "Hey dad, do you think you could fly with me today?" he asked. Diego raised an eyebrow.

"Fly with you?" He chuckled. "I hope you have an extra pair of wings." Ari chuckled back.

"No dad, I mean like, ride me. You know, to see what it's like." Diego blinked in surprise.

"Really? Are you sure I wouldn't… weigh you down?" he asked.

"Come on dad, I'm _five times_ your size. It'll be fun, flying's awesome!" Diego smiled.

"Well…"

"Please? I wanna' fly with you." Diego looked at his son. Coming from a dragon, Diego considered such words a display of affection. He smirked and chuckled.

"Alright, fine. But if my neck breaks, you're digging my grave." he said, winking. Ari laughed.

"Agreed." The dragon then picked his father up and set him on his scaly back. "You might wanna' hold on at first." he said, then flapped his wings. The liftoff was a little jerky for Diego, but Ari soon made his way into a smooth glide, and Diego looked around at the blue sky, and the white puffy clouds.

"Whoa." he breathed. Ari banked left and right, avoiding the clouds. Diego smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into his son's movements. Ari then went into a loop the loop, spinning them both upside down. Diego laughed. Ari then went full throttle into a downwards spiral, jerking up at the last minute, and flapping his wings to gain altitude. In that moment, a glorious feeling passed through Diego, a feeling he recognized only seconds after acknowledging it.

It was that feeling he had experienced a year before, when he had met Sali. He looked up into the sky, smiling, relishing flying with his son. His Ari. After ascending for a few moments, Ari leveled himself out into another glide. He looked back at his father.

"Awesome, right?" he asked. Diego chuckled.

"It sure is." he replied. "Let's go find the rest of the family." Ari obediently swooped low to the ground, hovering at a good fifty feet until they reached the home cave. Diego slid off of Ari's back onto the ground, and then walked inside. But he was surprised to find that it was vacant. Ari stepped inside as well, looking around.

"Where is everybody?" the dragon asked.

"I don't know, maybe they're out-" he stopped and placed a paw over his mouth. He snickered.

"What? What are they doing?" Ari asked. Diego held his paws up.

"I'm sorry! I'm forbidden to speak about it, it's a surprise!" he replied. Ari smiled and shoved his nose lightly into his father's side.

"Come on, tell me! Or I'll throw you up in the air like a chew toy!" he threatened playfully. Diego laughed.

"Well, you're gonna' be playing with a spastic rag doll then!" he replied. The two engaged in a game of tag, chasing each other around the home cave, Diego soon leading Ari outside so he would have more room. Ari finally pinned his father to the ground with one foot, the pair of them laughing happily.

"It has something to do with the fact that today is my birthday, isn't it?" Ari asked. Diego grinned.

"_Maybe_…" he taunted. Ari chuckled.

"Tell me, tell me now!" he demanded playfully. Diego laughed.

"Okay, it _does_ have something to do with the fact that today is your thirteenth birthday." he admitted. Ari smirked.

"I _knew_ it!" he said. The two smiled at each other for a moment longer, just enjoying the time they were spending as father and son.

"Alright," Diego finally said, "let me up."

"Hmm, do I have to?"

"_Yes,_ Ari. Now." The dragon chuckled and stepped off of the saber.

"So, when are we gonna' go find `em?"

"We're just gonna' wait until they come home. They're probably still getting _it_ ready." Diego replied.

"Maybe… we could do another round? You and me?" Diego chuckled and shook his head.

"Wish I could sport, but, I think once a day is enough excitement for me. You go on and have fun." he said. Ari smiled sadly.

"Kay, call me in a few, then." he replied, and with that lifted off into the sky. Diego laid himself down in the grass before the herd's cave, and watched Ari entertain himself for a while, before his eyelids drooped over slowly. Despite only being awake a short while already, he could easily slip into a nice nap. However, it was not a few minutes later his ears were ringing with his son's startled cries. Snapping his frightened green orbs open, he stared up at the great blue sky in horror, searching for Ari. But he was not to be found. He jumped to his feet and looked around, trying to figure out which direction to set off in.

Painful screeches set him going north worriedly. He made of in a mad dash, loping over the green miles, feeling the grass brush teasingly under his paws, bending in the wind. "_You'll never see him,_" they seemed to speak. "_They took him._" Diego shook his head violently as he ran, ridding himself of these thoughts.

"No, I'll find him! He can't be far. I'll find him!" he said to himself. As he continued to pound his paws against the earth, he became acutely aware of how strange it was. Just stomping his paws on the ground, over and over again, it almost looked as though he were pulling the ground along and throwing it behind him, not gobbling up the miles- "Stop it!" he told himself. This was no time for over speculation.

Diego had done it before; he had taken the word 'the', and simply took a few moments to contemplate how it was said, what it really meant, and soon, he would feel as though the word were strange, not even a word at all. The feeling wore off, but it confused him sometimes, how one could such a thing. This was not time to get wrapped up in such actions. If he did, it could mean his son's death. With that thought in mind, he urged himself to go faster. He finally stopped at the edge a small bowl that had been carved out of the earth. By humans.

The sides were steep, but Diego was sure Ari could have flown out. But he saw, with dismay, that the dragon's wings lay crumpled and bloody against his back. His eyes stared longingly at the sky, a few tears sliding down his face to drip of his muzzle and plop noiselessly on the ground. His tail, long and strong, was covered it crisscrossing gashes, and in fact, it appeared to be bent, as though broken. He let out a breath in shock and horror, and would have rushed down into the bowl to wrap his arms around Ari's neck and nuzzle him – if it weren't for all the humans standing around, as though guarding the teenage dragon. Diego restrained himself, digging his claws into the dirt as his son's pained whimpers reached his ears. His face contorted into a snarl, and then into an even further one as he recognized Ari's captors as the ones from when Ari had hardly been able to talk.

"When I figure out the out which one did that to him," he muttered with rage. His shoulders tensed, and he went into stalking mode. He crouched down and crept quietly around the edge, hiding amongst the foliage. Tuning his ears to the wind, he could hear faint snatches of conversation. Another whimper from Ari caused his eyes to moisten slightly. He shook his head and continued to slink around, eyeing each human warily. When he finally reached the other side, he saw a strange, tent like dwelling.

Human voices emanated from it, although he had no idea what they were saying. He looked back and forth between the tent and Ari, before deciding to try and figure out what the humans were talking about first. He carefully slunk toward the tent, and peeked through the open flap. He gasped slightly; it was the same human that had tried to handle Ari all those…_months_ ago. He was talking with another human, looking smug and triumphant. Diego snarled lowly, and crouched down, ready to pounce on the human. But suddenly, a cry stopped his heart, "Dad? Where are you? Dad? I need you!" Diego froze; Ari continued to whimper, and he drew in a shaky breath.

"I'm here Ari," he whispered. "I'll save you, I promise. I love you." At that point, the two humans stood and came towards the open flap. Diego gasped and sprinted around to the back, then peeked out as they made their way over to the bowl where Ari was trapped. One of them, the handler, got down on one knee and called down in his own language. One of the humans replied, and Diego slowly began to creep over to them.

The handler began to talk once more, in a taunting tone. Diego heard a weak growl from Ari, and stopped. Could Ari understand the humans? As the handler continued, Ari became more and more distressed.

Diego was shocked when he suddenly shouted, "Stop it! Stop it now! That's not true!" Diego's worry increased ten fold. What was the human saying? "He saved me! He saved me from you!"

Diego shifted his paws uncertainly. There was no way he could take on all those humans, especially with those strange weapon-looking things they were carrying. He didn't want to take any chances, especially not when Ari's wellbeing was on the line. His heart cringed at the thought of leaving him here, but Diego knew that he needed back-up. Sighing, he waited until the taunting human left, listening to Ari's sobs and whimpers, before getting daringly close to the edge. He looked down solemnly at Ari. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, but it didn't register in his mind.

Ari suddenly looked up with tear stained eyes, and saw his father. He smiled. Diego smiled back, and made a motion with his paw. He tapped his forehead, then his lips, then made a slicing moment across his chest. Ari, too weak to perform his half, nodded. Diego then turned and sprinted back to the home cave.

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><p>Ari took in deep breaths as he laid helplessly on the ground, trapped and guarded by these horrible creatures his family called 'humans'. Bloodthirsty monsters, murderers, disgusting all around his father had said. But only when they were adults. This had always puzzled Ari; how could something that was so horrible as an adult, be anything different as a child? It didn't matter, right now they were the enemy, and right now he could trust none of them. Suddenly, he heard a voice call down. One of his guards answered, and he looked up at the edge where the first human had spoken.<p>

It smiled tauntingly down at him. "Hello there, air." he greeted. Ari raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that your name? Ah well, it's close to that." Ari glared at him. "Don't be so harsh on us, we saved you after all."

Ari snorted. "Don't you ever wonder how your…_father_ acquired you?" Ari blinked in surprise. "No regular saber just goes out adopting dragon eggs." Ari raised an eyebrow, determined not to speak to this creature. The human smiled and leaned his head to one side lazily. "He stole you of course.

"Right out of your mother's nest." Ari could have gasped indignantly; who would _dare_ accuse his father of such a thing? He shook his head vigorously. But the human nodded. "Oh yes, I remember quite well. I was there; your mother wanted me to take her eggs to somewhere safe, away from all other creatures. But one saber…what do you all call him?

"I can never tell. He managed to swipe you while I had my back turned." He placed a hand on his chest. "Thankfully _only_ you. Your mother was so devastated-" Ari squeezed his eyes shut.

"Stop it! Stop it now! That's not true!" he shouted. The human shook his head sadly and sighed.

"He's corrupted you; you don't even know who's on your side. We aren't the enemy air. _He_ is. The one who's taken care of you is a _liar_. He doesn't _want_ you, he wants your power. He wants to rule." Ari shook his head.

"_It's not true, they're lying! Dad loves me_!" "He saved me! Saved me from you!" he shouted. "_They're the ones who want to use me, not dad! He just can't, he's cared for me for thirteen years! He loves me, I know he does! He has to!_"

"Well, if he loves you so much, where is he?" Ari didn't reply.

"_Plotting to defeat you, trying to come up with a plan to get me back, that's where he is!_" he wanted to snap. But he didn't. Why couldn't he answer? He knew it was true; he had faith in his father. What caused him to doubt?

"Perhaps he just wanted to explore what your kind was like, and now that you're gone, he doesn't want you anymore." Ari wet his lips, trying to come up with a suitable answer.

"_Impossible!_" he thought. "_He's had plenty of chances to get rid of me! He never has, he loves me, he wants me. He has to love me!_" But he couldn't force the words out. Was he too weak to talk? Unlikely.

Was he afraid of this human? Definitely. Was that it? Was he afraid of defending his father and being met with more, even worse twisted lies? Was he too unsure to handle other things that weren't true but plausible? He clamped his eyes shut, willing that his lack of an answer would get the human to go away. He soon heard the sound of feet walking away, and let tears stream down his face.

He looked once more up at the edge of the bowl he was stuck it, and saw, to his joy, his father standing near the edge, staring down at him with a tear sliding down his cheek. He smiled up at him, and was met with a smile from the saber. The adult executed his half of a special sign language they had made. It was to prove that, should anything ever happen, _he_ was Ari's father, and _he_ loved him. Ari wished to perform his own half, but could do no more than nod. His father nodded back and turned away, no doubt to get reinforcements to get Ari out of captivity. He closed his eyes once more and settled down as comfortable as possible; no doubt lingered in his mind now.

His dad would return. And Ari knew he would return with a vengeance. He was horrified to see Ari even the slightest bit injured; his current situation would surely bring out his father's indisputable wrath.

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><p>Diego's heart grew heavier with every stride away from his son. His gritted his teeth and carried on back to the herd. He found them just finishing up the preparations for the celebration. He arrived in the clearing panting heavily. Ellie turned to him with a smile. "Hey Diego! Is Ari having trouble waiting?" she asked with a laugh.<p>

"The celebration is on hold as of right now!" he commanded. Everyone turned to him in surprise.

"Why?" Sid asked.

"Ari's been captured by those humans that attacked us almost a year ago. We have to get him outta' their camp."

"What?"

"Do you have any idea what to do?" Manny asked seriously.

"There are too many for me to handle myself. They're still carrying those strange weapons, and I don't want to risk any of us getting hurt."

"Dude, Ari's five times your size Diego! How on earth are the humans holding him captive?" Diego gave Crash a grim stare.

"Somehow, they shot him down from the sky and beat him up before he knew what was going on. He's stuck in a ditch and can't move." he replied blankly. He was met with silence. He frowned and stared at the ground sadly. "It's my fault; I shouldn't ahve fallen asleep, I should have watched him closer..."

"It's not your fault." Ellie said, placing her trunk on his shoulder. "You couldn't have done anything anyway. We'll help you get him back." Diego smiled at her gratefully.

"Thanks." He then turned serious. "We have to think of a plan; I don't want Ari stuck there for too long."

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><p>The next day dawned bright and early, but Ari didn't see the sun until at least a half hour after it had risen. He sighed dejectedly and waited to see if his father would arrive. At noon day, a loud trumpet filled the air, but nothing came into sight. Exchanging glances and words Ari couldn't undertand, his guards climbed out of the bowl and ran off, leaving only two in charge of him. A moment later, Diego jumped down into the bowl and paralyzed the two remaining guards, then turned to Ari with a smile. He eagerly crawled over and nuzzled the saber. Diego put a paw on his muzzle.<p>

"It's alright Ari, we'll have you home soon." he said softly. He then reached up both of his paws and caught some vine ropes that had fallen from the other side of the pit. Looking up, Ari saw Ellie, Manny, Peaches, and Sid holding onto the other ends of the ropes. "Now just hold still." Diego said. He then carefully tied a vine around each of Ari's legs and one around his neck. Then he told Ari to roll over onto hisback, and climbed up onto Ari's chest and patted his nose. "This may hurt." he warned.

He looked back up at the others and gave them two thumbs up. Manny, Ellie, and Peaches walked backwards while Sid just stood and puled the vine up. Ari felt himself rise off the ground and up towards the edge of the bowl. He winced a few times, as the vines were digging into his injuries. Diego patted and stroked him gently, trying to ease his pain. I wasn't long before Ari found himself being pulle dover the edge of the pit and onto higher ground. Diego unwrapped the vine ropes and helped him to his feet, before Sid and Peaches helped him hoist the dragon onto Many and Ellie's backs.

Not to mention, they did it all in record time. Ari was surprised at how fast they had moved. They all set off as fast as they dared, not wanting to drop Ari, and were not followed. They soon made it back to the home cave, where Ari was set down in the back and Sid made a fire next to him. Diego sat beside him and stroked his son's face, shushing him and promising him he would be alright.

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><p>Diego looked back constantly as they made their way back to the home cave with Ari in tow. Thankfully, not even the taunting human had followed them, and Crash and Eddie were safley bakc on Ellie's back. When they reached the home cave, Ari was settled in, and Diego stayed next to him as Ellie tended to his many wounds. Once they were alone, Diego tenderly wrapped his forelegs around Ari's neck and licked him. "You're alright now Ari, you're home and Ellie's taken care of you. I promise, I won't let those humans near you ever again. I'll keep you safe. Ari smield and snuggled into his father. Suddenly, he asked Diego, "Dad?"<p>

"Hm?"

"Dad, where did you find me?" A startled silence replied, before Diego sighed. He stroked Ari for a moment.

"Ari...about a day before you hatched, your mother came to me out of no where. She said that...she was being hunted, and that she was destined not to see you. That I was the only one who could take care of you, and raise you. I protested at first; I didn't think it was in any way possible for me to have the ability to take care of you. But she insisted, and left your egg with me. She trusted me to watch over you." There were a few moments of silence.

"I brought you home, and kept you a secret for as long as possible, which of course only lasted until the next morning. You hatched only moments after I woke up. Very slowly; you would shake and break of bits of the shell for a few moments, then you would just sit there for a long while, before moving again. I finally tore off a large piece and lifted you out myself." Diego paused and looked down at his son. "I remember...when I first held you. You were so small and shivery. I realized that...you had hatched early.

"Possibly too early. I kept you in the back of our old cave for a couple of weeks, only leaving you when I had to hunt for us. You grew just fine, quite fast actually, but I always tried to keep you safe, incase somethign turned out to be very wrong with you." He stopped and gave Ari another tender lick. "But you've grown up perfectly, and now all we have to do is get you healed, before no doubtedly moving again." There was a long silence that engulfed the father and son.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"...You really do love me?" Diego blinked in surprise. He hugged Ari's head close to his chest.

"Of course I do! Ari, you've become flesh and blood to me. I would never, _ever_ leave you, I _love_ you." he replied. He stayed with Ari that night, curling up next to the dragon protectively and dozing off contentedly.

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><p>Ooh, so someone wants Ari to be on their side. Sadly they're not good and lying to him. Maybe better luck next time... Review!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

The official chapter 5! Sorry it's short, I just wanted to cut it off there, but I suppose you can guess what's comin up later. And I promise to make it work! So just keep reading! Enjoy and Review!

Diego's Dragon

Chapter 5

The next morning, Ari woke with a wide yawn and attempted to stretch. Keyword: attempted. As soon as his wings were fully extended, a sharp pain shot through them in fiery veins. He cringed and gasped, instantly folding them back against his back. "Okay, bad idea." he muttered to himself. He sighed and stared at the pile of smoldering ashes that lay in front of him until his father awoke. Diego soon joined him in consciousness, letting out a loud, roaring yawn and stretching.

Ari envied him for a moment. Once his eyes were open seeing properly, he smiled up at Ari and stroked the dragon's snout.

"Morning son." he greeted softly. Ari nuzzled him back.

"Morning dad." he replied sleepily, then shook his head. Diego looked Ari seriously in the eyes.

"Now don't you expect me to let you move a muscle today. Or tomorrow, or the day after that." he said. Ari frowned.

"Not even to walk around?"

"No."

"To hunt?"

"I'm your father, that's my job."

"To chase the twins?"

"They're banned from pranking you until you're fully healed." Ari struggled to come up with another reason. Diego placed a paw on his jaw. "I know you wanna' go run around and have fun. I wish you could." He stared wistfully at his son for a moment. Then he sighed. "But I also don't want you to injure yourself further. You're staying back here until you're better, period."

"Yes dad."

"Thank you." Diego gently pressed his mouth to Ari's forehead. A gesture the dragon had come to know well. "I love you too much to lose you. You know that." Ari smiled.

"Yeah."

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><p>Diego smiled and pulled away from his son. "Now, I'm going to get breakfast for you. I want you to stay here until I get back; I'll send Sid back here to keep you company." Ari smirked at him.<p>

"Why? So he can torture me as punishment for being 'difficult'?" Diego smirked back.

"Yeah, let's think of it like that." he replied. The teenage dragon gave a laugh. He stopped as Diego continued out of the cave; he knew just as well as anyone that his father would often turn jokes into real situations.

"Y-you're kidding right? He's not gonna' blabber my ears off until you get back, right? O-or sing? Or, dance? Right? DAD?" Diego chuckled. He left Ari in tantalizing impatience.

He soon came across Sid, who was still sleeping in and odd fashion on the floor. He set his mouth in a line and wacked the sloth's head. Sid awoke with a cry of pain. He looked up at the saber in irritation.

"What?" he asked whinily. Diego jerked his head to the back of the cave.

"Go watch Ari. I'm getting his breakfast." he replied. Sid gave him a confused look

"Is he moving already?" Diego rolled his eyes.

"No, idiot!" he snapped back. "Just keep him occupied until I get back." He then turned and stalked out of the cave. Sid sighed loudly and stood up, waddling to the back where Ari was.

"_Man, it sure is dark in here. I better light a fire before I run into him._" Sid thought. After crawling around on the ground for a while, he found his burnt out fire from the previous night, and relit it. As soon as his vision had returned, he found himself just about eyeball to eyeball with the teenage dragon. He jumped back and screamed at the surprise appearance of the snout decked with sharp teeth poking out of Ari's lips. The dragon laughed.

"So that's why you were crawling around like that." Sid stood up and dusted himself off.

"Oh ha ha, very funny Ari!" he replied crossly, folding his arms over his chest. "Your father happened to send me back here to entertain you until he gets back." Ari sat back and spread his forelegs.

"Alright then," he said. "Entertain me." Sid smiled and opened his mouth to begin, but was interrupted by his ward. "Just don't sing or dance." Sid frowned. He huffed haughtily.

"Fine, reptilian critic. What do you suppose we do?"

"You could tell me a story."

"A story?"

"Yeah, like about our family's past. You know, how you all got together." Sid considered for a moment.

"Hm, well, I think your father and Uncle Manny would like to participate as well, so, let's hold off on that." Ari frowned sadly.

"Oh."

"I could…make one up." Ari brightened instantly.

"Okay!" Ari settled down comfortably and watched his sloth uncle expectantly. Sid thought for a moment.

" Um, okay, so there was this…saber cub…and …he had gotten separated from his pack-"

"How?"

"An…earthquake had made this…big crack in the ground that forced him to go to one side while his pack stayed on the other."

"What did he do?"

"He…his pack _leader_ told him to head west, and they would follow on the other side and meet up. So, the little cub started on his way, and he didn't know how to hunt yet, so all he could do was catch bugs to eat." Ari made a disgusted face. "So, his first night alone was kinda' creepy…'cause he had never slept away from his mother before, so he curled up in this cave and shivered in the cold, trying not to jump from all of the night sounds."

"What sounds were there?"

"Oh, you know, frogs crocking, crickets chirping, owls hooting, birds chirping, stuff like that. But to a really small cub, it's all strange and scary. So the next day he woke up and continued on…"

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><p>Diego grunted as he struggled to lug the large bison he had caught to the home cave. He stopped and panted for a few moments, before gripping it with his jaws and pulling once more. "<em>And to think, he'll need at least one or two more <em>just_ for _breakfast today_._" he thought. "Uhg." When he finally managed to drag the carcass up to Ari, his shoulders felt as thought they were going to fall off. He slumped over, panting. "Alright, Ari, here's, food." he said, then laid down on his belly.

"Thanks dad!" the dragon replied, before digging eagerly into his meal. Diego saw Sid wince out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, I think I'm just gonna', leave you two alone. Call if you need me. _After_ you've eaten." he said, then turned and quickly waddled away. Diego rolled his eyes, then focused on Ari. The dragon was already finished with his meal. He sighed.

"You still hungry?" he asked. Ari shrugged.

"I can wait until lunch." Diego smiled with relief.

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><p>Sarro cursed himself. This saber was too clever; he knew when he needed reinforcements. He didn't go willy nilly into anything; except of course adopting that dragon. Why couldn't he be less practical? More animal like? It didn't matter; Sarro never lost to anyone, and he always got what he wanted. Although most of the time it was due to unfair play.<p>

But he held no regrets; his heart had been ripped out long ago. Too long for him to care. Now, all he wanted was to get on with his plans, further his research and experimenting. And to do that, he had to get the dragon away from that blasted saber. He muttered to himself once more, before turning away from his excellent view of the valley the oddball herd currently took refuge in. He had commanded the crew to set up camp near a large overhang on the outer edge of the valley, where they would have a good viewpoint of wherever the herd was. Upon entering the camp, he found the men mingling about, chattering, and cleaning various weapons.

He cast a blank, glazed look over it all and entered the largest of the set up tents, in the middle of the clearing. He flicked his eyes over the various objects adorning the small space. A bedroll, a small lamp and two flashlights, and a backpack were the only sign that a human being occupied the tent. It was mostly bare, but he used that his advantage. After peeking out the tent flap, and ensuring that no one would disturb him, he sat down on the ground and pulled over the backpack. He unzipped it, and lifted out a wrapped parcel. Smiling softly, he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a very small egg.

Well, small for dragon size anyway. But the egg itself would grow as the embryo did, and soon, the new life would hatch. Hatch for him. He gently caressed the shell; it was a dark lavender, usually a sign that the embryo was female. Laid by a dragon of the Ice Mountain Range, eggs that bore females were often a warm dark lavender while eggs that bore males were natural, icy colors. This saber knew only legend; no facts about the creature he was raising. If he had, he of course would be much surer of himself as a parent; he would know exactly what to do.

Sadly, that ability for him only extended to the children of his own species. And that was just what Sarro needed; someone who wanted the best for their child, but with absolutely no way to know when they were making a vital mistake. He held the egg close to his chest. "Soon you will be my greatest weapon." he said softly. "My greatest weapon of all."

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><p>Again, sorry about the length. But I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review! :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 6: Castella

**Hey everyone! Chapter 6 is finally here! Yeah, sorry it took me forever to update this, but I realized I had two chapters mostly written and unpublished, so I uploaded them. If the next one isn't up yet, it will be soon. Again, sorry if the chapters are too short, but it makes it easier to update faster. Plus I'm just putting it in these increments. So please enjoy and review!**

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><p>Diego's Dragon<p>

Chapter 6: Castella

Diego watched as Ari practiced his flying techniques. He was two years old; an official, adult dragon. Free to roam, to claim his own territory, and have a family. His injuries had cleared at a stupendous rate, ensuring that he only remained off his feet for three weeks. But, like most new adults, he stuck close to his father until he was ready to break out. It had only been a few months since his last birthday, but Diego could tell he wasn't exactly sure what to do with himself. He didn't care how long Ari stayed.

He preferred forever. But he knew Ari would leave someday; and that day was drawing nearer with every passing hour. He sighed through his nose and kept his eyes trained on his son. He would never let the dragon out of his sight again, a vow he took with utmost seriousness. His son came in to land dropping smoothly onto the ground, sliding to a stop in front of him, smiling down proudly. Diego smirked; for all the world, Ari still seemed like a teenager. He had a long time to grow out of his immaturity though.

Diego, however, wouldn't trade a mature Ari for the one that stood before him now. "So, you having fun?" Ari grinned.

"You bet!" he replied, thrashing his tail back and forth. Diego's smile faltered slightly. Out of Ari's entire body, the one thing that didn't seem to heal completely was his tail. It wasn't very noticeable; merely a faint scar along the right edge of his tail, hardly visible really. But on the inside, as far as Ellie could tell, the bone in the tail was severely and terminally fractured. It was a miracle he could still fly properly, not to mention so excellently. But he always worried for his son; he never knew when the dragon's tail could suddenly injure itself further, sending him hurdling from the sky.

He smiled and chuckled as Ari nuzzled him. He was only half of his mother's size, but an adult didn't necessarily mean a full grown dragon. He hugged Ari's neck tightly, never wanting to let go. But Ari pulled away, and Diego couldn't stop him. "Hey dad, do you think you could go up with me this round?" Diego laughed.

"I'm seriously sensing a pattern here. Every other time you go up you drag me with you." he replied, but climbed up onto the dragon's back all the same. Ari smiled and took off, accelerating into the sky at a breathtaking speed. Diego smiled as the air rushed past his face, nearly freezing him solid. He loved this ascending feeling; it always made him feel close to his son. He let out whoops along with Ari's as they sped across the sky. Their joyous laughter rang through the clouds, bouncing back to them.

Perhaps it was all that extra noise that blocked Diego's ears of the other flyer. Perhaps he was just too careless, and had dismissed the beating wings as a nearby bird. Nevertheless, he realized too late that they were being rushed at by another large, flying body. The force of the being knocked the breath out of Ari's lungs. Diego knew because he could hear the familiar wheezing of prey trying to breath after he had stabbed their trachea emanating from his son. He panicked for a moment, never having been faced with such a dire situation before. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them and gripping Ari's head.

"Level Ari, level!" he screamed. After a moment of struggling, the dragon managed to extend his wings into a glide. Hovering mere meters off the ground, Diego looked up and searched the sky for their attacker. Not seeing anything, he turned his attention to the ground below them. He stroked the dragon's head tenderly. "You alright son?" Ari panted for a moment before replying.

"Yeah, yeah I'm alright. What _was_ that?"

"I dunno', but whatever it was, we should get out of here before it comes-" Diego was cut off as they were once again slammed into, from underneath this time. As they were shoved higher into the sky, Diego struggled to see past his son's flailing body to whoever was being so rude. They finally stopped at a good height, and backed away as Ari regained his bearings. They both glared at the figure.

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><p>"What's the big idea? What were you tryin' ta'-" Ari cut himself off as he realized just who, or rather <em>what<em> he was addressing. It was another dragon. About his age. Their scales glittered a light azure in the sunlight, with dark purple wings and fiery, burning orange eyes. He could have gasped in joy and wonder. His father's silence suggested he had fully seen the other creature too. Ari felt tongue tied, unable to address this new acquaintance.

"Hello." they said. The voice was feminine.

"Hello." Diego replied. Ari should have snapped out of his daze, but he remained transfixed.

"I'm sorry I ran into you." she continued, her voice soft and apologetic. "I didn't see you until it was too late, and then I decided to help you back up." The two dragon were gliding parallel to each other. Ari finally found his voice.

"Oh no, don't worry, heh, accidents happen!" he replied. He was in awe of this other dragon, yes, but why was he so nervous?

"Who's your friend?" she asked, gesturing with her head to his back. Ari suddenly remembered his father was there too.

"I'm his father." Came the smooth reply from the older saber. She gave the two a blank stare.

"Father?"

"It's complicated-"

"And private." Ari glanced back at his father.

"_What's eatin' him?_" he wondered.

"Well then, I guess I'd better be on my way." The female said, giving them a smile.

"Good day."

"Wait! What's your name?"

"My name?" Ari nodded. "Castella."

"Right. Maybe, we'll, see you around Castella?" Castella smiled.

"Sure." The two dragons parted in opposite directions. Ari stared ahead dreamily.

* * *

><p>Diego looked back at Castella as he rode away atop Ari. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. There was something he found suspicious about her; he was so sure that they had been alone before she had flown in out of no where. And why was she here anyway? She looked about Ari's age; had she just moved here? "Hmm." he muttered.<p>

"What?"

"I don't trust her. There's something about her…"

"I'm sure it's nothing." Diego raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why? You goin' around defending the innocence of _all_ pretty girls?" he asked teasingly, slipping into a teasing father mode. Ari snorted.

"No! Your 'daddy instincts' don't apply to this situation." he replied. Diego gave laugh.

"O-ho! _I'm_ the one suggesting things?" he asked back.

"Oh, just forget it." Ari replied sourly. Diego chuckled. He patted the dragon's head.

"Alright then, let's just go home. I don't want you flying after all that."

"Dad, I'm fine!"

"Ari, you know your tail is weak, I _don't_ want you to get hurt again." Ari sighed.

"Fine, I'm going."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Sarro smiled as his dragon came into landing at the campsite. She smiled back at him, and he reached out to gently hold her jaw and stroke her. "Hello Sarro." she greeted. He smiled and held her close.<p>

"Hello my dearest. How did the meeting go?"

"Wonderful. I can tell he already has quite an inkling for me."

"Good, good. Soon we will have him within our grasp."

"Yes, yes we will. He will be ours for the taking." she replied. Sarro nodded.

"Now, Castella, go and refresh yourself for dinner. We will be having mammoth tonight."

"I won't be long."

* * *

><p>Ari laid on his back and stared up at the stars, thinking about Castella. She was so beautiful and she was another dragon. He was so curious to know about her. He had lived his entire life with mammals; creatures far smaller than himself. She was his size, his age, and his kind. What things could she tell him? What could he tell her? He sighed, running the image of her scales through his mind once more. "Are you going to sleep soon?" Ari jumped at the sound of his father's voice. "I find it hard enough to sleep with my thoughts, but your sighing is really starting to bug me."<p>

"Oh, sorry dad."

"It's alright." Ari felt a paw lovingly stroke his neck. He soon fell asleep to the sound of his father's rare humming.

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><p><strong>So that was chapter 6! I hope you liked it and will continue to read this story. <strong>**J**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey readers! Yes, I have finally returned with Diego's Dragon (in case you didn't believe your eyes when you saw chapter 6) And have actually posted two new chappies! I don't know if I'll update this or 'Rapunzel Where's Your Tower?' next, but I just figured I should work on this. Oh an btw: sorry about the chapter confusion, but I've adapted over the years to calling the prologue the prologue and not an actual chapter, but now I can't change it, so that's why the chapter 6 appears to be repeated. Enjoy and review!**

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><p>Diego's Dragon<p>

Chapter 7

Ari woke the next morning with a wide yawn. He rolled over onto his stomach and stretched his wings, before blinking and scanning the campsite. Everyone was still asleep, including his father. He smiled and nudged the saber with his nose, which earned him a light whack on the muzzle. "Sid...go away..." Ari chuckled.

"Dad," he whispered teasingly.

"What?" his father whined.

"I found Castella..we're gonna' go for a quick fly and come back after lunch." The reaction was instantaneous. Diego's eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet, looking around wildly, completely missing the fact that his son was next to him.

"Get back here young man!" he shouted. "Before I-" Ari let out a laugh.

"Dad, I'm right _here_!" he interrupted the saber. Diego spun around to see him laid on the ground a foot or so away. He glared at Ari.

"That wasn't funny, Ari!" he scolded.

"It sure was to me!" Diego's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. Ari instantly calmed himself down, although a persistent smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He had come to fear that look, no matter how much their size differed.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you like that." he said. Diego nodded.

"You take care and remember that." he replied. Ari chuckled.

"Yes sir."

* * *

><p>Diego smiled at his son. Ari knew when obedience was imperative, and how to address an elder. Well, at least how to address he, Manny, and Ellie. He couldn't blame the dragon if he didn't quite respect Sid, Crash and Eddie that much. "So, what do you say we go get some breakfast?"<p>

"Absolutely, I'm starving!" Diego chuckled. He turned and started to the east, Ari taking off and following him from the air. They soon came across a herd of bison, and Diego went into stalking mode. Their strategy was simple: Diego would chase them to a nearby cliff, and as the herd rushed off into the lake below, Ari would swoop down and grab as many as he could in his talons. It was an effective process, which rewarded the two with a large breakfast. Ari convinced Diego to allow the dragon to give him a lift home, and soon the two were soaring through the skies once more. Diego closed his eyes and sighed in content; he loved the feeling of the clouds brushing past his face.

When he opened them, he happened to catch a glimpse of light azure scales through the puffy white masses, and scowled. She had to come when he was enjoying a moment with his son, didn't she? He leaned over to Ari's ear and whispered, "Our little friend is back." with as much distaste as he could. Ari apparently mistook it for excitement, and looked around for Castella eagerly. The female dragon suddenly swooped down next to them. Ari turned to her with a smile. Diego continued to scowl at her, wishing in his mind that she would just disappear.

"Hey Castella!" Ari greeted cheerfully. Diego remained silent, knowing that nothing polite or friendly was going to come out of his mouth.

"Hello Ari." Castella replied in a soft voice; it sounded a might too much _enticing_ to Diego. Ari's nervous but happy giggles only made Diego's overprotective side flare. And his scowl deepen.

"You takin' a fly after breakfast?"

"Yeah, I just love shooting through the air." the female replied, before breaking their synchronized flight pattern and launching into a dizzying combination of loops and dives. Diego scowled at her, suspecting she was merely trying to impress Ari. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew the dragon he rode was staring at her in wonder, letting her draw him in. He lightly tapped Ari's head, catching his attention.

"What?" the male hissed.

"Don't encourage her!"

"Oh, stop it!" Castella came back to glide next to the pair.

"Do you like performing the aerial arts?" she asked Ari. Ari nodded vigorously.

"Totally! I love diving!" he replied. Then, to Diego's horror, Ari suddenly dipped down into a nose dive without warning. The saber let out a scream, clinging to his son for dear life as the ground hurdled closer to them. At the very last possible moment, Ari jerked himself up sharply, causing Diego to gasp. They were soon by Castella's side once more. Diego panted to catch his breath, placing a paw on his stomach with a moan.

Ari looked back at him. "Dad, you okay? You look sick to your stomach." Diego half-heartedly glared at his son.

"You dropped my stomach off on the ground before coming back up." he shot back sourly. Ari lowered his ears in shame.

"Oh. S-sorry." Diego sighed and scowled once more at Castella.

"I think it's about time we got back home." he said venomously. "That was the _plan_." Ari turned back to Castella.

"Sorry Castella, I gotta' get my dad home before he hurls." he said with a smile. Castella grinned back.

"Yeah, wouldn't want some anonymous animal getting puked on." she agreed in her soft, enticing voice, looking Ari in the eyes with a smile. "I'll see you later." She then turned and flapped off.

"You most certainly will not." Diego growled back lowly. Ari sighed dreamily as she left, turning and flapping in the direction of the home cave. Diego gave another low growl, frustrated at how artless Ari was. He may be as clueless in the world of dragons as the next saber, but he wished Ari was more cautious and hadn't started falling for Castella so quickly. But the feelings in his stomach prohibited him from doing so for more than a moment.

"Dad, are you okay?" Ari asked. "You're growling like the possums just figured out a way to antagonize you even further than before." Diego sighed and laid on Ari's neck, stroking the scales lovingly.

"Ari, I'm worried about you."

"Me? Why?"

"Don't you think it's unwise to trust Castella so quickly?"

"Uncle Manny says you don't trust anybody until they save your life or prove themselves worthy to the rest of the herd." Diego rolled his eyes.

"I'm talking basic 'don't talk to strangers' tactics, Ari. I don't want something to happen to you."

"_Nothing_ is gonna' happen to me dad."

"How do you know?"

"Castella's nice; she doesn't exactly seem to be out to take over the world for sick pleasure."

"I don't think she's the best influence, either."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you not register that little stunt you just pulled off?" Diego exclaimed. "If I hadn't gotten my grip when I did, I could have gotten flung off you! And with the way you went head on into it, not even warning me, you probably wouldn't have noticed!"

"What? I would _never_ forget that you're riding me!"

"Then why were you so careless just now?"

"I _wasn't_! I was just showing Castella what I could do, like she did! Being friendly!" Diego sat up, ignoring his stomach's protest.

"Exactly! You copied her to impress her, and _I_ almost got hurt! I'm lucky that all I got was a sick stomach the way you were playing around! Ari I'm afraid this girl is going to get you in trouble; do you have any idea how easily your tailbone could snap from one excursion or another?"

"Just shut up, alright? Just shut, up!" Ari snapped angrily. Diego froze, taking in the tiniest of gasps, staring open mouthed at the back of his son's head. The ache in his chest wasn't from trying to keep the bile in his stomach down. He finally closed his maw, and turned away. Not a word was spoken until they got home. Once Ari had landed, Diego jumped down with the air of an embarrassed child crossed with an angry mother.

He stumbled for a moment out of dizziness, then emptied his stomach in a nearby bush. He sat beside it miserably, reluctantly allowing a small tear to slide down his cheek. He viciously wiped it away with his paw, scowling at the ground heatedly. "_I can't believe him! All I've ever done, and he treats me like nothing!_"

"_Well, he _is_ an adult now. Don't you think he was a little, you know,_ offended_ by what you said? Or even embarrassed?_" Diego sighed.

"_Oh hush; don't confuse the issue with logic!_" he snapped at the voice. "_He's still my son, and he's no where near mature enough to handle himself properly. He hasn't even left home yet! I think that still makes him my responsibility!_" he argued.

"_Still; he snapped because of _you._ You know that right?_" Diego sighed.

"_I don't know. I guess._" he replied, before turning and hurling into the bush again.

* * *

><p>Ari scowled and turned away from his father. "<em>How dare he treat me like a <em>child_?_" he thought indignantly. "_I'm an adult now, shouldn't I be able to make my own decisions? If I want to trust Castella, isn't that _my_ choice?_"

"_You know he was just worried about you, right?_"

"_He didn't need to be! I can take care of myself now!_"

"_You know he brought up a good point about your tail; what if she get's you to do some crazy bank or loop and you flick it too harshly? You know how weak the vertebrae is._" Ari sighed. The voice in his head was right; his father was only concerned for his wellbeing. He looked over at the saber timidly, noting the miserable scowl on his face as his stomach heaved. He instantly felt guilty; Diego was the closest thing he had to a father, how could have snapped at him like that? He sighed and cautiously made his way over to the older saber. Ari gently nudged his back with his nose, hoping Diego would turn to him.

Slowly, the saber's head turned. Ari was devastated to see, behind the physically pained glare, there was an internal sting in Diego's eyes. Ari had thought Diego, though small compared to his current size, was totally unbreakable. Like a small rock; it would take another rock to crack him. How could Ari have hurt him like this? He gently pressed his nose into the saber's neck, inhaling the familiar scent. Closing his eyes he whispered, "Dad? I….I'm….I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

He felt a caring paw stroke his jaw line as salty droplets dribbled down his face. "Shh…shhh." The gentle noise still his heart; he had heard it so many times as a child. When he was hurt, when he was falling asleep. It was a sound meant to calm and reassure him. "It's all right Ari." The gentle voice soothed Ari's frazzled nerves.

"I'm sorry too." The dragon lay next to his father, pressing his head against the warm body and reveling in the paw's caring stroke. He soon felt both paws cupping around his jaw, and opened his eyes to see Diego smiling at him. He gave a small smile back. Lowering his head even more, he pressed his forehead against the saber's. He looked into his father's shining green orbs; there was only love. He closed his eyes once more and sat contentedly in the embrace. "What do you say we go for another round?" Ari snapped his eyes open.

"R…really?" he asked. Diego nodded, then cringed slightly.

"Well…maybe in a moment. Or three." He said, before turning and retching again. Ari stroked the saber's back caringly as the saber retched loudly.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's it for now! Hope you all enjoyed the little bit of father and son action! Please review thoroughly! Sorry if you all were hoping for 'RWYT', but I hope you enjoyed this! Oh and that line abou confusing the issue with logic is an actual joke courtesy of my mom. Love you mom! ;D<strong>


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